


Innocence

by wizardhands (20ozgrapejuice)



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure, And behold the lord said let there be some sex and naughty, Angst, But I know what you're here for so:, F/M, Fantasy, Fluff and Smut, Magic, Maru and Robin play some minor roles, Mermaids, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Swordfights, We'll hop around with perspective, Wizards???, but only after several k of, sorry for the shitty tags, we've got it all and it's vaguely canon-approved, would u like some wizards???
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-18 11:47:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21710260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/20ozgrapejuice/pseuds/wizardhands
Summary: After losing most of what mattered in Pelican Town, Sebastian slaves away at a dead-end job in Zuzu, letting the years fly by.But despite his aversion to his old life, Seb's hometown magnetically draws him back one evening for the Night Market. His old friends Sam and Abigail flip his life upside-down when they follow the mysterious "farmer," Maria, onto one of the trader's ships. Anchors away, and adventure ensues.The world is a lot bigger than Sebastian ever knew. And his life is much richer than he ever remembered.
Relationships: Sebastian/Female Player (Stardew Valley)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 34





	1. Stowaways

_The Mines had a heartbeat. If you dug through the earth and crawled into its depths, you could hear it pounding, wailing, forcing its escape. You could hear it gnawing away at its prison with the monotonous drumming. Whatever it was, it was in no hurry. But whatever it was, it was constant and inevitable._

_The curious rhythm pulsed in Sebastian’s ears as he descended a dilapidated staircase in the Mines. His hand traced the stone he passed, and he was surprised by the rising heat replacing the cold indifference of shallower levels. He checked his phone—1:47 a.m. And not a soul knew where he was._

_In the tunnel to another level, darkness threatened to swallow him. But to Sebastian, it felt more like a warm embrace. And the shadows slithering through the depths of the Mines never hurt him, though he could feel their expectant eyes on him. He’d been twelve the last time he ventured down this far; he swore he’d never do it again._

_But Sebastian had to return to the Mines tonight. He had to stop Maria._

The edges of the memory curled and folded in on themselves. Sebastian was on his motorcycle, the low roar echoing through the mountain pass on his way to Pelican Town. His hands were clammy on the grips, and the wind blew a chill down his spine where a moment before there’d been the heat of the Mines.

Had it been real?

-

The Night Market assured Sebastian that everything in Pelican Town was exactly as he’d left it.

Wind gently rocked the lanterns, and the waves crashed in their own steady rhythm. Entertainers from across the Gem Sea were playing the familiar, whimsical tune that wafted through excited chattering. If he listened long enough, Sebastian would make out the voices of every patron: Penny, Harvey, Marnie, Alex. And every voice could cut like a knife, no matter how close Sebastian had been to them.

On the sand in front of the dock, Sebastian wondered if he dared to enter this space and disrupt its cadence. Life had gone on without him. He turned around to leave.

And he came face to face with Abigail and Sam.

“Seb!” Abigail threw her arms around him.

“Dude!” Sam threw his arms around the two. “We missed you!”

Sebastian was crushed under the bittersweet weight of it all. He choked out a laugh.

“You’ll smother me, you two!”

“That’s the plan,” Abigail said, though the two eased off. “We knock you out, drag you home, and spoon-feed you porridge through the bars of a little prison cell for the rest of your life. You can’t leave us again.” She smiled, but her eyes were misty.

“Are you staying for the night?” Sam asked. “No prison cell funny business, we promise.” He pulled out his vape and took a drag. The mist smelled like blackberries, and Sebastian frowned.

“Uh, no,” Seb responded, eyes darting away. “I’m driving back to Zuzu tonight. Work and stuff.”

“The life of a hustler,” Abigail sighed. “You really should come check out our place sometime, though.”

“There’s three rooms,” Sam said, grinning. He held up his hands and counted off. “One for me, one for Abby, one for a fellow gamer who doesn’t visit nearly enough.”

“I’m honored that you’d give me more than a couch,” Sebastian said, trying to brush off the invitation. He _was_ curious about it, though. His mom had built it, before…well. And Sebastian’s mind was overcome by overwhelming blankness.

“You could have the whole fucking place, if you asked,” Sam replied, shrugging. “You deserve it more.”

“Do you wanna walk around with us?” Abigail interjected, sensing the shift in Sebastian’s demeanor. “Assuming you’ll need some local guides to show you around such a fast-paced market.”

Seb smiled, color returning to the world. “You know, I came to see you two.” He almost believed himself. But a guilty pang in his chest reminded Sebastian that they hadn’t been the pull back to his hometown. If only he could place the real source.

“No text?” Abigail asked, scoffing. “That _is_ like you, yeah.” She gave him a playful cuff on the shoulder.

“You always have a habit of showing up and hoping fate is kind.” Sam shrugged, smiling. “And when it isn’t and you don’t see anybody you know, you make a shadowy escape.”

“Volgoth casts Dark Departure,” Abigail added, and Sebastian’s friends laughed.

“I really did name my wizard Volgoth, didn’t I?” Sebastian grimaced.

“At least you took Solarion night seriously,” Abby replied and gestured to Sam. “Not like the lovable goblin Gay Fiery.” She was already walking backward onto the dock, still facing them. “Or my halfling Shredded Cheese.” She turned and carved the path, snickering. For a moment as she disappeared down the pier, Seb reflected on how she’d changed. She had bangs now, her figure was fuller, and her signature boots were replaced with some casual sneakers.

 _No more adventuring for her, then?_ he wondered, and he felt a little disappointed.

“You remember that year we did the deep-sea fishing?” Sam asked Seb as the two began a leisurely pace to the Night Market, dragging him out of his thoughts.

Sebastian’s lips curled upward. “Yeah. You dropped every fucking fish.”

“Why does everything on the ocean floor have to be so _slimy_?”

“I mean, it’s wet. Because of the water.”

“Didn’t stop you from wrangling that blobfish.”

“And the fact that it was mine didn’t stop you from stealing it and freezing it half a year and putting it in the Luau soup come summer.” Sebastian wondered if this was what reminiscing was supposed to feel like: painful. Worse than recalling it alone. More bitter than sweet to recall the bygone with a piece of your past.

“I have to cause _some_ trouble in this town,” Sam replied, smirking.

“Speaking of trouble,” Abigail said as they caught up to her, “let’s see what we can do tonight.”

Sebastian’s smile grew. Their kind of trouble was rarely ever harmful. “What shenanigans do you two have in mind?”

“Stowing away on a ship?” Sam offered.

“Fishing for a sea monster?” Abby suggested.

“What about stopping by and saying hello?” a voice said from behind the group.

Sebastian pivoted. It was Maru.

Her familiar glasses were missing, and her ruby hair was pulled up in a bun. An ankle-length maxi dress and thick cardigan did nothing to hide the fact she was visibly pregnant.

“Hello,” Sebastian said dumbly, feeling his stomach drop. If Maru was around, Demetrius might be here. They were still in town?

And the pity in Maru’s eyes made Sebastian want to barf. She wrapped him in a hug, but this one was unlike Abby and Sam’s. It was formal, light, fleeting. She pulled away before he could even react.

“It’s good to see you,” Maru lied. At least, Seb was sure it was a lie. “If we’d known, we could have invited you over for dinner. Harvey always liked you.” She looked around the dazzling displays of the Night Market and chuckled. “I seem to have misplaced him.”

“Sorry, work keeps me too busy to step out for long,” Sebastian also lied. He felt the overwhelming urge to turn and flee. His work in Zuzu was lonely company, but at least it wasn’t this.

“Well, I don’t want to keep you three,” his stepsister said. She smiled, and it felt patronizing to Seb. “But I’d love to catch up with you when you get the chance. Dad would, too.”

Sebastian’s brow furrowed, but he bit back a rude reply. “Sure.” He waved goodbye and stepped past Maru, Sam and Abigail following closely behind.

“Damn, okay!” Sam said when they were out of earshot along the dock, sounding both impressed and surprised.

Sebastian furrowed his brow, eyes grazing over stands of exotic fruits and vegetables as he walked. “You know how it is,” he said as lightly as he could.

“I mean, fuck…yeah, I guess I do.” Sam rubbed his hand behind his head. Seb glanced at his friend. Was it just him, or had Sam’s eternal anime mane been slightly tamed?

“I give my parents the same cold shoulder when I see ‘em,” Abigail chimed in, scooting past a couple tourists to eye a painting on display. “Like, Yoba, I’d be happy never seeing them again.”

“I’m just happy my mom isn’t walking into my room unannounced anymore,” Sam said. “Like remember that time when—”

“ _Shit_!” Abby interrupted.

“What?” Sam and Seb asked in unison.

With no warning, Abigail was shoving the two down one of the docks, away from the crowds and lamplight. Seb stumbled over the walkway obediently, but only because he saw that the glow in Abby’s eyes was more mischievous than panicked. But then he tripped over his long legs, sending the three dominoes tumbling in the shadow of a ship.

“It’s _her_!” Abigail hissed to her companions as they hid, peeking into the lantern-lit pageantry of the Night Market.

Sebastian tried to see what she meant, squinting through the tangled legs and limbs of his friends.

“Who?” he asked, swallowing hard. He knew who it was.

“The farmer,” Sam murmured, trying to disengage from the writhing mass. “Well, ‘farmer,’” he added, this time with exaggeration. But there was a hint of awe in his voice.

Seb caught sight of Maria, marching down the pier with unfaltering certainty and weaving through a crowd of turning heads. Her black hair billowed behind her, with the fringe braided at the crown to keep out of her face. A woolly dark coat draped over the farmer. It looked like an animal pelt, only adding to the feral essence defining her. Strapped on top of her coat was her sword and scabbard, stubbornly worn everywhere she went.

 _At least someone around here hasn’t changed,_ Sebastian thought with a glow of pride on her behalf. Maria was impossible to miss, and unapologetic for taking up her space. The passing of a couple years hadn’t fazed her at all.

“This is the first time I’ve seen her since the Flower Dance,” Abigail observed. Sebastian glanced at his friends, hoping his enchantment had been missed by them. But Abby and Sam were just as wrapped up in Maria’s glamor as anyone else.

“What’s made our local cryptid come out from hiding, then?” Sam wondered, dusting himself off and preparing to stand. Abigail yanked him back down, and he yelped in protest.

“We’ll find out,” she said. She looked to Seb for confirmation, forehead crinkling as her brows shot up.

“A little covert recon?” Seb suggested, sounding braver than he felt. Something about this scared him; something about Maria always made him uneasy.

“A little covert recon,” Abby confirmed. Still crouching, she shuffled back into the light, not bothering to beckon for her friends. Once she reached the crowd, she stood and wormed her way in.

“Maybe she’s gonna take the submarine and kill a kraken,” Sam said as he followed with Seb.

“Maybe she’s gonna kiss a mermaid and free her from a curse,” Seb responded. More familiar banter; the rumors about their local farmer were always this fantastical.

“Maybe she’s gonna buy a magic bean and plant it up Alex’s ass.”

“Dude.” Seb looked at Sam.

“One could only hope that jock gets his comeuppance.”

“You still think about his butthole a lot, huh? Jealous someone else could be… _planting their seed_ in his ass?” Seb quipped.

Sam scoffed. Seb thought he was getting the hang of this again. The rusty gears in his head were turning. He was bantering. He was having _fun_.

The two were trying to keep up with Abigail. Maria was completely lost from Seb’s sight, and he could only hope his friend was on her trail. He felt unsettled, slightly embarrassed, but also...alive? He was reacting instinctually, moving toward trouble with his friends just like in the old days. Whatever familiar faces he may pass had no chance to ensnare him in small talk. He was on a mission.

Suddenly, in the space between a couple souvenir stands, two hands shot out and snatched the young men up by their hoods. Sam and Seb were yanked beside Abby in her hiding place.

“Yoba!” Sam hissed, rubbing at his neck. One of the vendors eyed the three suspiciously but continued their business with a patron. Seb silently readjusted his clothing, feeling more excitement for this game than irritation at Abby.

Abby said nothing, but she frantically pointed to a cloaked figure a few yards away, Maria standing before him. Coins were being exchanged.

Seb’s brows shot up in exaggerated surprise. He looked at Abby. Sam’s brows furrowed with similar exaggeration, and he shot glances at his companions as if he’d pieced it all together.

Abby slapped her forehead in frustration, seeing the two didn’t get it at all. She pointed again. Sam and Seb looked again.

The robed man gestured to a ship behind him. Maria nodded, and she was off.

“Oh, shit!” It was Sam’s turn to take off first. He grabbed his friends’ arms and yanked them across the pier. “What’s on that ship?” he wondered aloud.

“We won’t find out if we don’t keep _quiet_ ,” Abby whispered, coming to a halt several feet away from their mark. It was one of the largest caravels at port, barely rocking with the sea. Maria had already disappeared up the platform and onto the vessel.

They all looked at each other, gauging what to do next. But now it was Sebastian who acted. He tiptoed up the platform until his eyes were level with the deck, curiosity driving him before he could think.

Maria was nowhere to be seen.

Sebastian motioned his friends forward. And he lightly stepped onto the deck, eyes grazing their surroundings for a trap. Or at the very least a watchman.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and nearly jumped. But he whipped around and it was Sam. His companion pointed to an opening that disappeared belowdecks. The three made their way to it, the quiet tension in the air crackling.

It made Sebastian even more uneasy that nothing stopped them from descending. But exhilaration also washed over his every move. His eyes adjusted to the dark, and he could make out the rooms that lined the hallway.

But still no Maria.

The stairs led down further, and Sebastian followed the dark tunnel. He swallowed hard, noting the familiarity. He reached out to a wall to steady himself, expecting it to be hot to the touch. Skin only met unassuming wood. He could almost hear the drumbeat of the Mines, but perhaps it was only the pounding of the ocean.

The next level held only barrels and crates, no trace of Maria. Sebastian turned to face Abby and Sam, somewhat relieved. They’d taken this too far.

“No sign of her,” he whispered. “We must have missed her somewhere. We could—”

Just then, they heard men shouting above their heads, on the deck, too muffled to make out the words.

“Oh, fuck! Hide!” Abby scrambled between the barrels, ducking down in the farthest corner.

“Hasn’t this gone too far—” Before Sebastian could protest more, he was tugged along with Sam, thrust into a corner in the shadows. He crouched behind a couple crates, his heart pounding.

 _I’m twenty-six,_ he thought. _I could solve this like an adult._ But when was the last time he’d done _anything_ this playful? Anything remotely resembling fun?

The shouting persisted above. So did shuffling, the scraping of wood, and the patter of feet.

“Okay, Seb _might_ have a point,” Sam whispered to Abby. “We’re gonna have to escape or give ourselves up.”

Even in the darkness, Seb could making out the shocked whites of Abby’s eyes. “Sorry, guys,” was all she said.

And there they sat, paralyzed, hoping the pandemonium above would subside, stubbornly refusing to shame themselves by going above deck and admitting their fault. Time passed in the darkness. Sebastian pulled out his phone, and the screen burst to life. Sam looked at him like he was crazy, but Seb shrugged.

“Checking the time,” he murmured. It was 12:36 a.m. No notifications. No surprise there. “Okay, let’s at least go up a level. Maybe there are windows we could climb out of?” This hull was pitch black, but perhaps they’d have more luck if they found living quarters.

Seb made a move to stand, but just then a light blossomed in the staircase. Someone approached. He snapped back down, and the three exchanged glances. Seb thought about how he could be in his bed in Zuzu right now, the clock ticking away seconds in his sterile room, counting down to another day at his unrewarding desk job.

But here he was with the ghosts of his friends, reliving a past he never thought he’d regain.

The steps creaked with movement. Just one pair of feet. Light was flooding the room.

“Alright, you three,” Maria called. “You can come out.”

The three were frozen.

“Abigail, Sam, Sebastian. You’re not in trouble.”

“It has to be a trick!” Sam hissed, a little too loudly.

“You’re half right,” Maria responded, and they could hear her winding her way through the hull. “I paid for four passengers. I knew you three would be along.” She sighed. “Unfortunately.”

Sebastian finally clamored up, exposed to Maria’s lamplight, more ashamed than if he stood before her naked. “Passengers?” he said dumbly.

“Oh, we’re not in port anymore,” Maria said casually, eyeing him up in down. Sebastian tried to gauge what was in her eyes. Indifference? Disgust?

At her words, Seb’s friends had shot up.

“We’re at sea?” Abby asked, a hint of excitement peppered in.

“You paid for us?” Sam added.

They both started talking at once, scrambling over each other for an explanation. But Maria barely gave them a passing glance, her eyes still locked on Sebastian. He was paralyzed by her gaze, trying to undo the irrational knot twisting in his stomach. Maria finally interrupted them.

“I knew I couldn’t stop you rabble from coming. But maybe you’ll be useful after all.”

“Useful for what?” Abigail wondered.

“Come with me above deck,” was Maria’s response. She was already climbing the stairs, threatening to suck the trio back into darkness. They wormed their way around the cargo, obediently following. Sebastian’s blood rushed through his veins. Maybe Maria was capable of a joke?

And then all the petty concerns flew through his mind. He’d have to call into work. For how long? Would his bike be safe where he left it? He only had the one pack of cigs. Would it be enough?

Those little worries were swept away by the tide of reality once they hit the deck. Water engulfed all sides of the ship, and Pelican Town was becoming a glowing dot on the horizon. Sailors whizzed past, barely give the group a passing glance. The stars whirled over them, and Sebastian felt dizzy with the motion of the world.

“Yoba,” Abigail whispered.

“Fuck,” Sam agreed.

“No, there’s no turning back,” Maria said suddenly, answering what was likely on the minds of all three. “But you guys were eager for trouble, right? I think I can find some for you across the Gem Sea.”

And despite the emotions roiling inside Sebastian—the fear, uneasiness, embarrassment, exhaustion—that flickering light of excitement persisted. Perhaps he was glad after all that he hadn’t turned away from the Night Market and left before the adventure had even begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any future chapters have smut, they'll be marked with *. Rating is subject to change.
> 
> I'll update this as regularly as I can, but what with full-time work, depression, a side gig, and taking care of myself I hope this isn't too ambitious. ;.; I haven't plunged into a fiction project in a while and I have no beta readers or editors, so thank you for bearing with me! I hope what's to come will make you happy, even if it's only a little bit.


	2. Guesses

_Sebastian’s eyes flitted open, and he wished it was sunlight or birdsong that had awakened him. But no, it was his family stomping around upstairs. With a flash of worry, he propped himself up on his elbows, flicked on the lamp, and checked the door. Locked. He sighed with relief._

_Safely tucked within his room were Sam and Abigail sprawled on the couch, sleeping off hangovers and highs, blankets and pillows a whirlwind around them. Any contraband was already carefully tucked away, thanks solely to Seb’s paranoia. It was the weekend before graduation; they’d earned a little celebration. But Seb knew his parents wouldn’t agree._

_Seb hadn’t cleared everything. Solarion guidebooks and old CDs littered the floor. Unflattering photographs were scattered on his coffee table beside three matching yearbooks from Grampleton High. They were scrawled in and defaced, stained with a few drops of beer and maybe even a few tears._

_Evidence of nostalgia and evidence of revelry and evidence of change on the horizon. That last one was something Sebastian didn’t want to think about._

_“Sun’s up, you two,” Sebastian called, chucking his pillow at them._

_It hit Sam square in the face and rebounded onto the floor. He shuddered awake._

_“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Sam replied bitterly, cracking one bloodshot eye open to glare at Seb before turning his back on his friend. His fidgeting roused Abigail, somehow crammed on the same shallow couch. She sucked in her first conscious breath and cautiously unshuttered her eyes, squinting through the artificial light._

_“Sebby?” she murmured._

_“Abby?”_

_“Turn that off. Five more minutes.” She also rolled over._

_Sebastian had expected as much, and he welcomed it. Even with the risk of parents breathing down his neck, five more minutes wouldn’t be enough. It wasn’t nearly long enough to remain with his friends in the wake of change._

_Sebastian flicked off the light._

Sebastian’s eyes flitted open. That one, at least, was a memory he knew to be true. And beside two familiar strangers, it rested heavily in his mind this morning.

Sun did wake him this time, glaring through a porthole right onto his face. He scraped his sore body off the cabin floor and looked around. Seb greedily eyed the recently vacated hammocks that swung in these quarters. But he didn’t envy the sailors who’d left them, probably up and hauling ass before the sun had risen.

Sam and Abigail were two lumps beside him. As usual, he was the first up.

 _‘As usual_ , _’_ he repeated in his head. _I think it like everything’s back to the way it was._

He looked around for Maria. Despite his friends’ prodding last night, they hadn’t gotten another word of explanation. Maria had only said, ‘Get some rest and we’ll talk tomorrow. You’ve got time to sleep.’ And despite the half-sarcastic comments that this was kidnapping, she'd simply said, ‘You came on this ship of your own free will, and nobody’s gonna turn it around for some stowaways.’ 

Seb wasn’t sure he’d done much sleeping between the rocking of the ship, the snoring of the crew, the chilly night air, and the dread congealing in the pit of his gut. Maria had apparently paid for four passengers, not four beds.

He peeled himself off the floor, anxiously eyeing the doorway leading out to the hall. He wasn’t eagerly anticipating any encounters with the sailors, and in this unfamiliar territory with an uncertain future, his social anxiety was in full throttle.

Sebastian reached for his phone, which had been padding his ass from the hard cabin floor during the night. With hopes not exceptionally high, he unlocked it and checked for bars. Nope.

 _My boss is going to kill me,_ he thought. _Fire me_ , he mentally corrected himself, as if it wasn’t the same thing while he was always hanging on the hope of his next paycheck.

The young man swallowed, and his sore throat reminded him he was thirsty too. A flood of other needs bubbled up to the surface. He needed to pee. He needed to eat. He felt smelly and sweaty. Was he smelly?

And Sebastian knew that, eventually, those needs would force him out of the room anyway. It would be better to take care of them before he had to deal with his old friends or how to get back home. He begrudgingly exited the cabin, looking up and down the hallway, feeling utterly lost. But sunlight didn’t seem like a bad idea, even with the sailors about, and so he tiptoed to the right, up the creaky stairs and into blinding light and blue sky.

Shielding his unadjusted eyes from the sun, he felt like retreating. And he remembered he hated the sun. Why had he chosen sunlight over water? He was going to melt in black skinny jeans, a black hoodie, and black shoes. As if he wasn’t already smelly and sweaty. But clearly he wasn't thinking straight.

Squinting through sun’s glow, Sebastian scanned the deck, working up the courage to ask someone where he could pee, or eat, or drink.

But unfortunately, he caught sight of Maria before a sailor. And she caught sight of him.

Maria’s expressions always seemed to hide a story, and this one suggested a moment of vulnerability. Her eyes glowed wide when she looked up from her map, her lips lightly parted in dumbfounded surprise, her cheeks coloring at the sight of Sebastian. Bewildered—and curiously belated—Seb thought he recognized something in it. Something that probably mirrored how he looked, caught disheveled and dirty in the gaze of a local legend. But unlike him, what could she have to be embarrassed about?

“Hey,” Sebastian said dumbly from a few yards away. His feet were locked in place. “Good morning.”

He must have said the wrong thing. Maria’s gaze hardened, her mouth withering to a fine line, her brows knitting.

“Good morning,” she replied, her voice only slightly warmer than her reaction. She looked back down at her map.

That stabbed Sebastian right in the gut, passing deeper than skin and plunging into his pride.

 _She invited us to come along, didn’t she?_ Seb thought. _Maybe I’m overthinking it_. He swallowed hard and tried again, this time approaching one timorous step at a time. It seemed wrong to breach Maria’s sacrosanct world with presence. Even with the shaggy coat she’d worn last night discarded in favor of a simple white tee and black jeans, she looked…well…

Intimidatingly beautiful.

That was probably part of what made everyone in Pelican Town wary. She was tall, her slight build corded with muscle. Her black hair refracted light with its silky luster. Her skin was a smooth, soft brown that seemed to glow. Maria’s square jaw was offset by sharp cheekbones, full lips, and bold brows. And not one ounce of her looked preconstructed or manufactured.

On what felt like an eternal walk to approach her, Sebastian had plenty of time to contemplate his own appearance. He’d driven the citizens of Pelican Town away with layers of black, and it had become something of a permanent fixture in his life. He was stuck in it now, even when no one in Zuzu would give him a passing glance regardless of what he wore. He’d taken his piercings out for his job, and his hair was a little shorter than when he’d styled it in his hometown. But regardless of the changes, he was still grimy and sweaty and greasy—that was probably what anyone would see first. That made his feet feel heavier when they finally landed close to Maria. It had only been moments, but his assessment had made everything worse.

“You wouldn’t happen to have any water?” he asked, mentally kicking himself when his voice cracked.

Maria looked up, then back down to her map, then up again. She seemed to weigh the question. Finally, with an impatient sigh, she pulled off the leather canteen that had been strapped cross-body to her person. She offered it to Seb.

Sebastian reached for it slowly, fearing the intention behind her goodwill, but she passed it to him without more complaint. He unscrewed it, held it to his lips, and took a few small sips. His body begged for more, but he didn’t dare fall into Maria’s ill graces by drinking all her water.

“They have casks filled in the hull,” Maria said as he passed the flask back to her. “I’ll show you when Sam and Abby wake up.”

 _'Abby'?_ Sebastian wondered. _Why the congeniality?_ But he wouldn’t test Maria’s patience with that.

“I was hoping I could talk to you,” he said instead, instantly realizing how stupid that was. They were already talking.

“We’re already talking,” Maria pointed out, though her eyes were glued again to the map. And despite his hopes, Sebastian found his thoughts empty of all questions. Maria’s presence had wiped the slate.

Sebastian could feel sweat dripping down the inside of his hoodie in the interim. Finally, after a moment of chilling silence, Maria looked up at him.

“You wanna talk? Okay. Why’d you do it?” She folded her map and stared at him expectantly.

“Do what?” Sebastian’s heart pounded.

Maria stared at him for a long time, searching for something in his reaction. But Sebastian was only desperately uncomfortable and miserably confused. With no map to distract her, Maria simply cast her eyes down in defeat.

“I guess that’s the answer,” she murmured, wrapping her arms around herself. Her thick black hair curtained around her face, hiding her expression. And this stabbed Sebastian in the gut again, with this knife cutting into a feeling so deep it shocked him. But he couldn’t place it, evading any definition he tried to tack on it.

“I’m sorry if I’ve offended you somehow,” he said sincerely. “If…you let me know what I did, I can—”

“No,” Maria cut him off, her head snapping up. Were her eyes…misty? “Let’s forget about it. You’re hungry?”

Sebastian nodded, realizing that the topic had slipped out of his grasp in an instant.

“Did you pee?”

“…No.”

Maria’s lips curled slightly upward. “Right side of the front of the ship. You can pee off there. It gets better—just wait until you have to shit.” She was marching off before Seb had time to process this. But she turned back briefly to say, “I’ll wake Sam and Abby up and we can take care of the food next.” Then she disappeared below deck.

Sebastian wormed through a group of sailors to the bow, his heart thrumming with anxiety. Despite the small sense of excitement for an adventure, he also badly wanted home. But then he remembered his "home" was in Zuzu, in a sterile studio apartment with an oppressively mundane job dangling over his every free minute. But he wanted _home_ —Pelican Town.

Less than 24 hours with his old friends and one glimpse of the Night Market, and suddenly Sebastian’s façade of passive contentment with his life was crumbling. He was worried this reunion would chip away at his guard. He was right.

-

“It’ll be three days before we hit land,” Maria said, casually tossing an orange between her hands while Sam, Abby, and Seb tore into their food. They were sitting in a tight circle in the cabin, feeling the gentle sway of the ship.

Sam stopped abruptly, mouth overflowing with biscuit. “Three days?” he repeated, a few crumbs spewing into Abigail’s lap. She casually brushed them off, and Seb tried to hide a smile.

“Yes. But don’t worry; it won’t be as boring as it seems. If you want to make yourselves useful down the line, you have some reading to do.” Maria rested the orange in her lap and lugged her massive backpack a little closer, opening the flap and pulling out a hefty book. She plopped it in front of the three.

“ _The Edicts of Yoba,_ ” Abigail read.

“You want us to read the fucking Bible?” Sebastian asked, one brow raised.

Sam opened to the first page, scanning it with disbelief as if expecting some secret code or hidden message. Sebastian looked over his shoulder and saw only the familiar opening passage:

_Before time there was only the endless golden light. The light called out to itself Yoba. Yoba wanted more. Yoba swirled the golden light into a vortex. Yoba swirled and swirled until a hole formed in the eye of the vortex. From this hold sprung a seed. Yoba smoothed the golden light. Yoba smoothed and smoothed, and the light became soil. Into this soil, Yoba planted the seed. The seed sprouted, and behold! A vine sprung skyward, twisting and probing, casting a writhing shadow onto the golden void. After 11 days, the vine bore fruit. Yoba, with knowing wisdom, peeled the tough skin off the fruit and saw that the world was inside. And so that is how the world came to be._

Abby, also leaning over Sam’s shoulder for a look, peered back up at Maria in disbelief.

“The whole thing?”

Maria put a finger to her lips, seeming to ponder the question. “Just the first paragraph. For now.”

“As if any of us need reminding of this horseshit,” Sam muttered, though he did quickly skim the passage.

After a moment, Maria asked, “Done?”

They nodded.

“Then fuck it. Let’s get crazy.” She yanked something else out of her backpack and placed it with a thud on the book. Sebastian stared at it blankly, wondering if Maria was capable of a joke. It was the size of a bowling ball, though it looked less heavy. The object was oblong and slightly flat, coming to a rounded point at one end. It was smooth and brown and…unremarkable.

“Any guesses about what this is?” Maria’s eyes seemed to glow as they traced over her companions.

“An…egg?” Abigail guessed.

“A kidney stone,” Sam said.

“Any guesses, Seb?” Maria asked, her eyes piercing right through him. Sebastian was caught off guard both by the nickname and the attention. Then he was thrown off balance by a sudden realization.

“A seed,” he replied softly.

“Exactly.” Maria rapped on it with her knuckles. “So let’s check in on that reading comprehension. What did Yoba have?”

“You’re shitting me,” Abby said, exasperated. She did, however, break into a grin at what must surely be a joke. “You’re crazy.”

“Damn, we thought you were cool or something.” Sam exchanged dubious glances with Abigail, then he faced Sebastian. “Sorry we got you caught up with all this crazy and we may never make it home and we’re all out here doing the absolute stupidest batshit.”

Seb shrugged, and his attention quickly returned to Maria. He _knew_ this was true. He didn’t know how, but he knew that was a seed.

“You’re right, Sam,” Maria said. “This is the stupidest batshit, and I’d know. I’ve been chasing it for years.” She shrugged. “Thought you wanted high-stakes batshit.”

“What’s the rest of the batshit?” Sam inquired, squinting her way. “So you got a mythical paperweight. How did that lead us all out to sea?”

“Since you’ll believe none of this, I’ll be honest.” Maria smiled, and though it might have been genuine, Seb was still too wary to trust it. “We’re on our way to the Fern Islands to speak to mermaids. They’re the closest surviving relatives to the elves, and they might know about an entrance to the earth’s center from the sea’s trenches. You’ve all heard about the Fern Trench, right?”

“You’re talking about elves and mermaids, who gives a shit about a trench?” Sam shot back.

“Okay, so mermaids are real. Fuck yes. But why?” Abigail said.

“Why are mermaids real or why are we talking to them or why are they related to elves?” Maria didn’t wait for clarification, though. “There are more real things on this planet than humans can classify; I’ve been charged with protecting this seed and planting it when I can figure out how; species evolve in silly ways. We came from fish, so it’s whatever, am I right?”

And just like that, the question-and-answer session became rapidfire before Sebastian could ask the adventurer to unpack any of her statements.

“Who wants you to protect the seed?” Sam asked.

“Two groups. The Adventurer’s Guild and…” Maria glanced around, for the first time looking a little embarrassed at her ridiculous story. “And the Shadow People.”

“Who are the Shadow People?”

“They live underground.”

“Where underground?” Abigail cut in.

“Anywhere dark. The Mines, for one.”

“Why protect the seed?” Sam questioned her.

“Other things want it.”

“Are they dangerous?”

“Yes.”

“Finally!” Sam exclaimed, breaking the rhythm. “Some good fucking news!”

And in this momentary lapse, Sebastian managed to break in. “Look, we can’t confirm any of this right now, so it makes no sense to keep going with it.” Beyond all reason, something inside him begged to believe it. But reason fought him back.

Then, something else interrupted them. The ship lurched, causing all four to scramble for balance. There was the sound of scraping wood and Maria lunged for the seed, keeping it from sliding to the dipping side of the caravel.

“Yoba,” Sam whispered.

“Not even close,” Maria corrected him, not a chink in her armor of sophisticated calm. But she did seem to be lost in thought when she murmured, “They wouldn’t dare sink us.” While the boat righted itself and Sebastian heaved a sigh of relief, they heard panicked shouts from the deck.

“I’m guessing you know what that was?” Abigail asked Maria, her eyes wide. She’d been clutching on to a hammock for balance like they were on a Zuzu subway. She was still clutching to it, her knuckles white.

“I have a guess,” Maria answered. Her hands were still grasping the seed, knuckles also white. Her gaze turned between the three before decisively resting back on Abigail. “And I’m guessing you don’t know that you can stop it.”


End file.
